English 330, Fall 2016, Grand Valley State University

DeLeeuw- Analysis 5

As I read this book, I couldn’t help but giggle every now and then. It was pretty funny! The fact that it was told by a fifteen year old boy was really great because I haven’t read many book with the narrator being a teenage boy. I usually read book with teenage girls as the main character when I was younger, so this was refreshing. What was also refreshing was the obvious symptoms of Autism. I was glad I was able to be in the mind of him, but actually understand the plot.

In the beginning, I was a little annoyed that Christopher’s father lied to him about his mother. That seemed really low of him, but it ended up fueling Christopher’s mystery skills, so I guess it was necessary for the plot. I think that’s what I liked most about this book. I was able to picture everything that was happening, but not what was going to happen next. Each little chapter was unique and kept me on my toes. I think that was strategically done because Christopher’s mind is always racing with new ideas and routines that a neurotypical person wouldn’t normally experience.

Related to the plot is the love that Christopher has for dogs. I think dogs symbol companionship that Christopher craves. People are unpredictable, but dogs are always there. I was glad that he was given Sandy in the end, it seemed like the right way to end the story. That mixed with his success at math really boosted his confidence, and it was inspiring.

As a searched the internet for some related articles, I was really interested in the fact that this book was made into a show on Broadway! This book is a great choice to do this with because it’s so charming and suspenseful. It is really brought to life through the props and set used, and I think it’s a great way to understand the mind of a child on the spectrum.

Even though this book has the common stereotypes of a autistic person, I don’t think they were seen as negative. He had social awkwardness and unbelievable intelligence, but I never read him as rude. Even though he is super intelligent and Sherlock Holmes is mentioned, I didn’t get a sense of Holmes’s personality. As I read, I got a shy and curious boy who just wants to go to college.

I think it’s safe to say that this is my favorite book so far this semester, and I’m so glad I got to write a blog post about it. It’s great to read something entertaining, yet educational. I’m a little more knowledgeable about young people on the spectrum than I ever have been before. I felt a connection with him, because sometimes confrontation is hard, and all I want to do is scream. It’s great that he figured out ways to deal with his anxiety, and I wish the Broadway play was still open so I could go see it!

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One thought on “DeLeeuw- Analysis 5”

I definitely agree with everything you wrote. I really enjoyed Christopher’s perspective, as you mentioned in your post. I think that it’s comparable to Mockingbird which is the young adult novel I had to read for this class. Mockingbird is written in the perspective of a young autistic girl but I think it was a new perspective that was just as refreshing as Christopher’s perspective. Young narrators with ASD tell stories with such a unique twist, it’s super easy to see why you labeled this as your favorite so far. I agree one hundred percent there.

In response to Christopher’s dad’s lies, I was really disappointed as well. I actually gasped out loud when I realized he had been hiding such a big secret from Christopher. In my YA novel, the main character has to come to terms with her brother’s death and it’s really clear to see how children with ASD struggle to come to terms with death in comparison to how nuero-typical children come to terms with it. Therefore, it made me pretty angry that Christopher’s dad would chose to put his son through something like that. Dealing with loss is such a big deal in the ASD community, there are actually a bunch of different websites dedicated to helping parents understand how to help their kids through such a tragedy. I linked a couple of these at the bottom of this for reference. It’s just baffling to me that a parent would fake a death of another parent, especially when they child is already dealing with so much.

I love that you found that this book was a play! As a theatre nerd, I totally geeked out and spent at least 30 minutes researching it. I think it’s really cool that a book with an autistic narrator made its way to Broadway and stayed there for two years.

I agree with you that Christopher’s symptoms of ASD shouldn’t be looked on as negative. I was actually really excited to read a book with a truer ASD narrator than they ones we’ve read previously. To me, you’re absolutely right. Christopher is a typical narrator who really just wants to do well at school and go to college. I think his story helps prove that even with his ASD, he can do well in school and succeed with the proper help.

I think this book has been my favorite we’ve read as a class, too. I think it was a lot easier to connect to and I’d absolutely consider putting it in my classroom as a future educator. I think Christopher’s story is a great way to show students that’s it’s okay to accept your quirks and differences. His story shows how to accept yourself and succeed at whatever goal you set out to do. He’s a strong character and his story is one that should be shared.
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